Runaways: Playing Catch-Up
by WonderingCloud99
Summary: Being taken 2 years in the future from your destined death was hard enough for Gert, but being taken over 100 years into the future was something she wouldn't even think about. One-shot. (This is not canon to the comics as Klara does not return to the Runaways)


**A/N: Hello! I've returned from a 2 year long hiatus. You're probably asking what happened to me? Well, the best answers I have are that I have a lot going on in my life and also it's hard trying to find the motivation to come back and write for this site again. But, I'm back and I hope to make fanfics as best as I can.**

 **(Also, thanks for your patience, moongoddess217, even though this is not a Mario fic, I hope my return pleases you.)**

 **The following Runaways fanfic is a one-shot set in the Rainbow Rowell and Kris Anka continuity after 'Find Your Way Home' and 'Best Friends Forever'. Yes, we don't know what's happened to Julie Powers until issue #10 (SPOILERS) but this involves mostly Gert and Klara (if she returns at all, hopefully soon, Rowell.)**

 **Anyway, enough of this, let's begin...**

 _Runaways: Playing Catch-Up_

Inside the new Hostel, everyone was relaxing after another day of their lives; Nico and Chase came back from their jobs, Karolina came back from her college classes, and Molly came back from school with Klara, whilst Gert, Victor and Old Lace stayed at the Hostel. That night, Nico, Karolina, Gert, Molly and Klara (with a sleepy Old Lace) sat together around a tv custom-made by Chase with his laptop connected to it as Molly wanted to show Klara some anime by watching episodes of 'Sailor Moon'. Chase and Victor were in the garage to stay out of their way.

It had been two weeks since Klara returned to the Runaways from foster care having felt as though she missed them all along and during that time, Molly, Nico and Chase managed to get Klara into her classes at school to restart their friendship after Abigail. It was also the first time that Gert ever met Klara after being mentioned by Nico. As Gert sat with the other girls, she began to reflect on what she was told about Klara being from 1907 New York and adjusting to modern day society. Being brought 2 years into the future after your destined fate with death seemed hard enough for Gert, but being brought over 100 years into the future was something she could not imagine.

As 'Sailor Moon' was still playing, Nico looked at the others; Molly happy whilst Klara was invested in her introduction to anime, Gert getting bored while also looking at Klara while thinking to herself and, finally, at Karolina who was still heartbroken from the events with Julie Power (A/N: which we don't know of, I just assuming) that she wouldn't feel like being in a relationship after Julie and even after Xavin. Nico turned back to the screen.

After watching 5 episodes of 'Sailor Moon', Nico and Karolina decided to call it a night.

"Alright, I'm going to bed." Nico said, stretching her arms, "Molly, make sure you turn off Chase's laptop before leaving to bed."

"Yeah, OK." Molly said.

Karolina was on her way, but went towards Klara and said, "I cannot wait for you to watch some Studio Ghibli films someday. They're so beautiful." It was as if her sadness melted away when talking to Klara.

With that, Molly, Nico and Karolina made their way to bed.

"Gert, you coming?" Nico asked.

"No, I'll stay with Klara." Gert replied, "Old Lace, on the other hand..."

Hearing this, Old Lace went to the left of the staircase where her bed supposedly is.

When everyone was in bed, Gert and Klara were the only ones left. There was silence. Then, Klara broke the silence by talking to Gert, "Did you want to talk to me about something, Gertrude?", she asked.

"Yeah," Gert began, "First off, you can call me Gert. Second off, is it hard for you to catch up on everything that's happened that you wouldn't know of 100 years?"

Klara began to wonder about that question before coming up with an answer, "Well, it has been difficult to adjust to this century, but Molly and everyone else have been helpful in educating me on things that I might have missed, like this 'Sailor Moon' person and anee-mee."

Gert tried to correct her, "It's pronounced 'Ana-may', actually."

"Oh, right," Klara looked down, "but I am still trying and learning new things which is the important part."

Gert nodded in agreement. She stayed silent for a few seconds but couldn't help but ask...

"What was it like 100 years ago?"

Klara seemed stunned by the question because she never thought about until she was asked about it now. She calmed down and said, "Well, it was hard to fit into New York as it was not like back home in my farm in Bern, Switzerland."

Gert interrupted, "I thought I could hear a slight accent."

Klara chuckled, "Yes."

She continued, "But in Bern, I would always talk to the flowers and they would always listen to me by growing and blossoming." she paused, "I always assumed that is what ordinary people do."

She looked down again, "But my mother, however, did not and thought it was a curse. She visited a senior man known as Mr. Prast, and paid him to be betrothed to me and sent me to the boat sailing for New York."

Gert started to look shocked and asked, "Wait, wait, wait! Your mom forced to to marry an old guy and sent you away to another country?!"

"Yes." Klara replied.

Gert laid back on the lounge in disbelief.

"Anyway," Klara continued, "With Mr. Prast, he introduced himself as a proper gentleman, but once I was married to and living with him in New York, he was always drinking and was aggressive while I went to work and cleaned the house."

"Sounds like an asshole." Gert muttered.

"He would often yell at me and threatened to hurt me and leave me out in the streets if I wasn't working as hard enough. He often did hit me and I often had bruises, scars, bumps, and blood, and he sometimes- he would sometimes-," Klara started to stutter as she remembered the traumatic events with Mr. Prast. Her body was going numb.

Gert filled in the blanks for Klara in her head and was almost disgusted, "OK, Klara, that's enough."

She put her hand on her shoulder and said, "When you get older, you realise you can't trust most adults because of what they do, which is what I learned. But what he did or tried to do was inexcusable and unforgivable. He wasn't a man, he was a monster."

As Gert finished, She noticed that Klara was crying from remembering the trauma of her previous life.

Gert tried to comfort her and Klara quickly wrapped her arms around Gert's body in a hug.

Gert was stunned. She almost never experienced a human hug. The only hugs she had were with Old Lace. Then, she started to embrace the power of the hug.

"Whether or not you're from the past, all that matters is that you live for today and forget all the bad things of the past."

Klara calmed down, wiped her tears and reflected on what Gert said, she had to learn to forget everything bad to her and focus on everything good in her life like being with her friends. They are the ones who made her feel like a child after she was living in her own personal hell and they are the ones who listen to her and understand her. What Mr. Prast did was wrong, but he can't hurt her anymore now she lives in the 21st century.

"Anyway, enough talk," Gert said, "Let's go to bed."

"Yes," Klara agreed, "and, thank you, Gert."

Gert smiled and with that they both went off to bed. Gert reflected on what she told Klara and compared it to her situation. Whether you are taken 2 years later or over 100 years later, things change for good or for bad. The past is one chapter in someone's life but we all must learn to look forward to whatever the future holds without being dictated by the past.

 **The End**


End file.
